Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise

Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise, or COPE, is a local non-profit organization that provides clinical treatment and rehabilitation programmes for Lao people with physical disabilities. Working with the government National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), and with financial assistance from international organizations and private sectors, COPE makes prosthetic legs and funds the manufacturing of orthotic devices (devices that help support parts of the body), and wheelchairs and tricycles. It also custom fits arms and hands.

Unexploded weapons (UXO) that litter the countryside as a result of the Vietnam War has been and continues to injure and maim thousands of people in the Lao PDR. Most of these people are children who live in rural areas and have limited access to health care. With a headquarters in Vientiane, COPE has five rehabilitation centres in eight provinces to cover the hard-to-reach areas. It provides and funds all the medical treatments and also travelling and accommodation costs for all patients.